The Evolution of Running

Today is Charles Darwin's 200th birthday. (Well, you know, it would have been his 200th birthday, if he weren't dead. Dude was fit enough to survive only so long.)

In honor of the man who championed the idea of natural selection and authored On the Origin of Species, I thought it'd be fun to trace the evolution of running itself.

Here's a condensed chronology.

July, 3.2 million years ago: Arandy but unappealing australopithecines named Stanley approaches a comely female. The female moves away so quickly that, soon, both of her feet leave the ground at the same time. Running is born.

September 1593: William Shakespeare becomes the first person to use the phrase "funne runne," in his little-known Sonnet 26.2.

January 1754: J. Edwin Hurdle is born in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England. Some 23 years later he would invent the track barrier that bears his name. Sadly, he would neglect to file for a patent and would die penniless.

March 1828:A young Charles Darwin enters a Shamrock Shuffle 5-K with some friends. He later declares the sport "rubbish."

April 1896: The first modern Olympics takes place in Athens, Greece, including the marathon. During the event, a spectator named Phyllis becomes the first person to ask, "How far is this marathon?"

May 1954:Roger Bannister becomes the first man to run a mile in less than 4 minutes.

Circa 1970: A track and field coach named Bill Bowerman uses his wife's waffle iron to make the sole of what would become the Nike Waffle Trainer.